Keyboard-player



(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 1. R. T. SMITH. KEYBOARD PLAYER.

Patented Mar. 3, 1896.

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Patented Mar. 3, 1896.

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R. T SMITH.

KEYBOARD PLAYER.

- No. 555,744. Patented Mar. 3, 1896 @j 4 187 37* 1 iii 66 ---43 -R o o f.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ROSVELL T. SMITH, OF NASHUA, NE HAMPSHIRE.

KEYBOARD-PLAYER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 555,744, dated March 3, 1896.

Application filed December 3, 1891. Serial No. 413,86 7. (N model.)

To all whont it may concern:

Be it known that I, ROSWELL T. SMITH, of

.Nashua, in the county of Hillsborough and thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the figures of reference marked thereon, making a part of this specification.

My invention relates to automatic mechanism for attachment to pianos, organs or other keyboard-instruments for the execution of musical compositions, and has for its object to produce such a mechanism which may be readily attached to any instrument without in any way marring the casing of the instrument to which it is applied, which shall occupy a comparatively small space, shall be of low cost, simple in construction, not liable to get out of order and thoroughly efficient in operation.

The invention consists in various features of construction, as hereinafter described and claimed. The particular form which I have herein shown is adapted to operate upon the keys of the instrument by striking or pushin g them upward at a point beyond their f ulcra with reference to the front of-the instrument; but it will be evident that most of the improvements might equally well be applied to an attachment by which the keys would be struck downward near their front ends.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a front elevation of the attachment with parts broken out to show other parts more clearly. Fig. 2 is a transverse section of the same, showing also a portion of the bottom of the instrument and of one of the keys. Figs. 3, 4, and 5 are detail views of parts to be referred to. Figs. 6, 7, and 8 are detail sectional views showing different modifications of a portion of the mechanism shown in Fig. 2; and Fig. 9 is a view similar to Fig. 2 and showing a different arrangement of the mechanism.

The attachment is intended to be secured to the bottom 10 of the instrument and to be supported by an adjustable foot 11 connected to the main frame 12. Suitable brackets 13 support a short shaft 14, which may be rotated by a crank or any other suitable means and is itself geared, as by bevel-gears 15,with a shaft 16, which is journaled in the frame an d carries a cylinder 17.

The shaft 14, through suitable intermediate gearingas a pulley 1S, belt 19, pulley 20, short shaft 21, worm 22 and worm-wheel 23 drives a shaft 24, which carries the windingroll 25 for drawing the perforated music-sheet 26 from the roll 27. The shaft 21 is supported in the end of a lever 28. The worm 22 is normally held in engagement with the wormwheel 23 by a spring 29 connected to the lever 28, and disengagement may be eifec ted by a handle or treadle 30 suitably connected, as by a wire 31, with the lever 28.

For the purpose of rewinding the musicsheet upon the roll 27, when desired, the shaft 32 which drives said roll bears a pulley or sprocket-wheel 33, which may be driven bya sprocket-belt 34 from a second sprocket-wheel 35, normally loose upon the shaft 14 but having a clutch connection 36, so that it may be rotated therewith. An elbow-lever 37 embraces the hub of said sprocket-wheel and may be connected by a wire 38 with the handle or treadle 30 before referred to, so that when said handle or treadle is moved to disengage the roll 25 from its driving mechanism it may at the same time connect the roll 27 therewith.

The arrangements just described are convenient for effecting the engagement or disengagement of the rolls to or from their actuating mechanism; but any other suitable form of clutch or disengaging devices might be employed.

The roll 27 is not fixed to the shaft 32, but is made movable therefrom. One end of said roll has a bearing against a spring 39 supported by a suitable case 40, and the other en d has a tongue-and-groove connection 41 with the shaft 32, as indicated in Fig. 4.

The music-sheet passes from one roll to an other over a perforated guide-piece 42, and when a perforation in the music-sheet registers with one of the perforations in the guidepiece the end of the corresponding finger 43 is thereby allowed to move into the perforation. The fingers 43 are pivoted upon the frame and are connected, as by links 44, radiating levers 45 and links 46, with swinging sheet 26 and guide-piece 42.

arms 47. Each arm 47 carries a pivoted sector 48, which is faced with leather or some other frictional material 49, and is adapted to be moved into contact with the cylinder 17 when the end of the corresponding finger enters the registering perforations in the 111 usic- The movement of each finger and its connected parts is insured by a spring 50 attached to the lever 45, and to secure uniform adjustment of all the springs they may be attached to hooks 51 carried by a rod 52, which is frictionallyheld and may be rotatably adjusted by any convenient means. The pivot-blocks for the levers may be held in position in the frame 12 by set-screws 5a, and the lovers are guided by slotted blocks 55. For the purpose of holding all the fingers 14.3 away from the guidepiece 42 when the movement of the musicsheet is reversed a rotatable cam-rod 5G is supported in the rear of the upper ends of said fingers and may be rotated against the fingers by a crank-arm 57, connected by a wire 58 with the handle or treadle 30. A stop lS may be provided to limit the movement of the sectors.

The key-strikers consist of vertical rods 00, supported and guided to have freedom of 1011- gitudinal movement against the keys 61 of the keyboard, and are actuated by the movements of the sectors through the mechanism of suitable connectors 62.

As indicated in Fig. 2, said connectors preferably are composed of a leather or other flexible strap 62 extending about or connected to a sector, or, it may be, itself constituting the frictional material 4:9, before referred to, and a rod (53, screw-threaded at its lower end to receive a vertically-adjustable nut (54:.

The striker maybe guided bya link 65, which is perforated to permit the passage therethrough of the lower end of the rod (33. It is necessary, in order to regulate the action of the striker, to adjust the rod (53 with respect to the striker. In the construction shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings this is accomplished by making the traveling nut 64. adjustable beneath the link 65. A better mode of accomplishing the desired result is illustrated in Fig. (5, wherein the connector 62 is secured to a block (56, which is formed with an interiOrly-threaded apparatus to re ceive a threaded extension (57 of the striker 60, said extension also bearing a traveling nut 6i above a perforated guide-piece 68. lly rotating the striker 60 its relation to the connector 62 may be varied, and by adjusting the nut (i-Lt the relation of the striker to the key of the instrument may be varied also. In Fig. 7 the direction of rotation of the cylinder 17 is represented as the reverse of that indicated in Figs. :2 and 5, and the connector (52 consequently is shown as connected to the lower portion of the sector 48 instead of passing over its pivot.

In Fig. 8 swinging arm 47 is represented as pivoted at amiddle point 47* instead of at its upper end, and the finger 43 is shown as connected by the link -l-i directly to the lower end of the swinging arm l7. In this case the arms l7 are placed like the radiating arms of Fig. 1.

In the construction shown in Fig. l) the parts are so arranged as that the music-roll maybe placed outside the front casing of the instrument. The position of the fingers l3 and guide-bar 42 are changed and the musicroll 27 is supported in brackets outside the casing of the instrument. A guide-roll 27* is suitably supported to guide the music-sheet 26 from the music-roll to the winding-roll. If a web 26* be attached to the roll. 25 and made long enough to be coupled to the musicsheet, as at a, outside of the casing, it will be possible to substitute one music-roll. for another without opening the casing of the instrument.

Many other modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of my invention.

In the operation of my improved attachment at full music-rol 27 is placed in its bearings and the end of the music-sheet is connected to the roll 25. The worm 22 being then in engagement with the worm-Wheel E33 and motion being imparted to the shaft Ill, the music-sheet will be drawn over the perforated guide-bar 1 .2. As the perforations in the music-sheet register with the perforations in the guide-bar the fingers 453 will enter the perforations un derthe influence of the sprin 50 and their respective sectors 48 will be brought into contact with the continutmslyrevolving cylinder 17. The movement of the sectors, through their connection with the striker, will cause the proper keys U]. to be struck and the desired musical. notes to be produced.

hen the music-sheet has passed completely or as far as desired from the roll 27 to the roll it may be rewound upon the roll 27, without reversing the direction of retation of the shaft ll, by moving the lever 30, which will disengage the worm 22, rotate the camshaft 55 to move the fingers from the paper, and couple the shaft 32 to the shaft 14.

It will be observed that by employing the radiating arms between the fingers and the levers which bear the sectors I am enabled to use a music-sheet of very moderate width, and at the same time to arrange the mechanism so that the row of strikers, the pivot line of the fingers, the pivot-line of the radiating arms, and the axes of the music-sheet roll, the windingroll and the actuating-roll shall be mutually parallel. This makes it possible to reduce the thickness of the mech anism and to do away with any casing or other obstruction beneath the keyboard.

I claim as my invention- 1. In a keyboard-player, the combination of a music-sheet winding-roll, a series of key strikers, means for actuating said strikers, a series of fingers controlled by said music IIO sheet to govern the action of said strikers, a cam-shaft to act upon said fingers, a motorshaft, connection therefrom to said windingroll including devices to engage and disengage said roll to and from said shaft, and

, means to simultaneously disengage said devices and to rotate said cam-shaft, substantially as shown and described.

2. In a keyboard-player, the combination of a continuously-rotating roll, a series of connectors adapted to be brought into contact with said roll, a series of levers adapted to move said connectors into contact with said roll, a series of fingers, a music-sheet to co-operate with said fingers and control their action, a series of key-strikers operated by said connectors and a series of radiating levers pivoted at the middle and severally connected at one end to the respective fingers and at the other end to the respective levers of the first-named series, substantially as shown and described. 1

3. In a keyboard-player, the combination -of a continuously-rotating roll, a series of sectors adapted to be brought into contact with said roll, a series of key-strikers, flexible connectors intermediate said sectors and strikers, a traveling music-sheet, a series of fingers controlled by said music-sheet, and means including a series of radiating levers pivoted at the middle and connected severally to said fingers at one end and at the other end to said sectors whereby the fingers may control the contact of the sectors with said roll, substantially as shown and described.

4. I11 a keyboard-player, the combination of a series of key-strikers, a series of sectors connected thereto, a continuously-rotating roll, a series of swinging arms carrying said sectors, a series of springs to act upon said swinging arms, a rotatably-adjustable rod having hooks for the attachment of all of said springs whereby the tension of all of said springs may be increased or diminished simultaneously, and means to control the engagement of said sectors severally with said roll, substantially as shown and described.

5. In a keyboard-player, the combination of a rotating roll, a sector adapted to be moved thereby, a key-striker screw-threaded for a portion of its length, a block engaging with said screw-threaded portion, a connector between said block and sector, a traveling nut upon said screw-threaded portion, and a stop to contact with said nut and limit the move ment of the striker, substantially as shown and described.

6. In a keyboard-player, the combination of a rotating roll, a sector adapted to be moved thereby, a stop for saidsector, a key-striker screw-threaded for a portion of its length, a block engaging with said screw-threaded portion, and a connector between said block and sector, substantially as shown and described.

7. In a keyboard-player, the combination of a continuously-rotating roll, a series of sectors adapted to be actuated by said roll and connected to the key-strikers, a series of swinging arms supporting said sectors, a traveling music-sheet, a series of fingers controlled by said music-sheet pivoted at the middle and connected severally to said fingers at one end and to said swinging arms at the other end, substantially as shown and described.

8. In a keyboard-player, the combination of a motor-shaft, a music-sheet winding-roll and its shaft, a gear for engaging and driving said winding-roll shaft, and itself driven from the motor-shaft, a lever supporting said gear, a music-roll shaft, a gear having a clutch connected with the motor-shaft for driving said music-roll shaft to rewind the music-sheet, a lever controlling said clutch connection, and a shifting-lever and connections therefrom to both of said firstnamed levers, substantially as shown and described.

9. In a keyboard-player, the combination of a row of key-strikers, a row of actuating devices connected thereto and parallel therewith, a music-sheet roll and a Winding-roll having their axes parallel with said row of strikers, fingers controlled by the music-sheet and pivoted'in a line parallel with said row of strikers and radiating levers connected to said fingers and controlling said actuating devices and arranged in a plane parallel with said row of strikers, substantially as shown and described.

I11 testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ROSWELL '1. SMITH. Vitnesses IRA F. I-IARRIs, FANNY II. LovELANn. 

